Frame size

[farmguy]

What is the frame size you desire or look for in a bull. Also what size cow would you prefer weight wise.

 

[MikeC]

What is the frame size you desire or look for in a bull. Also what size cow would you prefer weight wise.

Not giving you a short answer, but:
1-The frame score of the bull should depend on the cows size.

2- The size of the cows should be matched to the environment. (Availability of forage.)

There are extremes on both ends of the frame/weight/size scale to be avoided.

It never fails when a customer comes to look at a pen of bulls - they ALWAYS pick the biggest one in the bunch. Go figure.

 

[certherfbeef]

MikeC is right, your herd bull should compliment your cows in an effort to get YOUR ideal calf for YOUR ideal market.

When we bought our herd bull, he was and still is almost a frame score short. But the majority of our herd is taller than average. He also has a pretty straight leg and a good square hip, IMO. Our cows tend to fall off in the rump and carry a set to their leg. I feel he compliments our cows real well judging by the few calves we have out of him so far.

Also keep in mind where you plan to market your animals. Horns are frowned on in this are, so I flunked that part of the test.
RWF are discounted also.

The size of cow I prefer? I like them 1500. Hubby wants them smaller. We have a few that tip the ton mark when heavy with calf. IMO size of cow varies with breed, environment, ect... Big cows eat more. The same frame angus might weigh less that the same frame, bigger boned herf.

I'll shut up now

 

[dun]

The same frame angus might weigh less that the same frame, bigger boned herf.

The weight to FS tables are for "average" cattl, whatever that is. If they're longer, wider, deeper then that average the weight thing doesn;t mean diddly.

Now that I've got that off my chest, we like to use a FS 5.5 to 6 on the cows that we hope to get heifers from to retain. For the meat cows we'll go to a 6.5 maybe even a 6.7, doesn;t matter much since the calves are gone long before they reach that kind of size. But the feeders seem to like those large framed calves better then the mediums. But they have to carry the muscle to go with the frame.

dun

 

[bigbull338]

the higher the frame score on your feeder steers and heifers affects the finished butcher weights on fed cattle large frames take longer to feedout and finish at 1300 to 1350 small frame scored cattle finish out at 1100 to 1200 so the feedlots like the bigger frame cattle im differant id butcher according to when they reached finsh weight and not over finish them scott

 

[jerry27150]

according to the grass farmer, the most prolific cow is a frame 4 to 5. you can use a bull frame bigger if you want bigger, framier calves to sell

 

[dun]

according to the grass farmer, the most prolific cow is a frame 4 to 5. you can use a bull frame bigger if you want bigger, framier calves to sell

And according the them there is a guy up north that has horned Herefords that are so prepotent that he puts horns on calves out of Angus cows. Read their big article on that a couple of years ago and decided I didn;t need to pay money for a mag that was that far out of wack. Some of their info is pretty good, but it seems like they have an agenda. It's hard to seperate the two.

dun

 

[houstoncutter]

I agree with Dunn, Stockman Grassfarmer has been a good paper in the past but they have gone so linebred and strickly grassfed that it borders on being a cult...I will not be renewing my subscription this year